Mission Trip to Peru - Blessed

Connie Kaiser, a member of Alive In Christ, left on January 6th on a medical mission trip to Peru through Global First Responder.  Read below as Connie shares the blessings given and received through this trip.

AIC has blessed me greatly over the past 22 years. Through the grace, mercy, and love you have shown me I have not only returned to Christ and strengthened my walk with him but found where He leads me to use my gifts and talents. I was made for missions. The outreach team recently partnered with me to join a team going to the headwaters of the Amazon river in Peru (see map in photo gallery below). We took a construction team and a medical team.

The construction team built a school in a small village of San Jose. Their school had washed away due to the erosion of the river. They were currently taking their children across the river daily to another village to attend school. This can be very dangerous, especially during high water season and if you don’t have a boat with a motor.

The medical team consisted of two ER doctors, a Medical Oncologist, a Nurse Midwife, myself, a Peruvian doctor, and a Shaman. We were the first medical team to come since Covid started. While many needed simple things like pain and anti parasite medications, we had several diabetics who had progressed in their disease due to lack of education. We did teaching on high blood pressure, hearing loss, and family planning. We took 2 wheelchairs with us. One went to a paralyzed woman whose family had been carrying her for 20 years. It took less than 2 days for the village to lay boards for a path for her to be able to get around. The other went to a women who had a machete accident and had only one leg. 

Pictured above is the sister of the paralyzed woman receiving the wheelchair.

Pictured above is the dry river beds where we hiked through jungle to get to villages
to hold medical clinics.

The Shaman spent time with us and talked of the herbs and plants he used to help with every thing from acid reflux to cancer.

We played with the villagers (kids we played with pictured below). And on our last night we did a mini Peruvian carnival. We had brought things to donate from kitchen measuring cups to rubber boots and flip flops and clothes and candy. We tied it all to the leaves of a banana tree (see picture below) and danced around the tree taking turns chopping it with a hatchet until it fell and all the people rushed in and grabbed the gifts.

As those who have been on missions know, you come back feeling you received more than you feel you gave. Here, time slowed down for me. I had time to talk with God, for much needed rest, and to know this is my purpose. My necklace is a cross my sister gave me when I was 12 and I never take it off. While this trip was not with a Christian based group, the conversations started by our actions and my necklace opened doors to talk about Christ and his changes in my life. You don’t need an agenda, you just need to be willing to show grace, mercy, kindness, and love. AIC taught me that and I will forever be grateful.

Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.